Hot fluid generators are well known in the art and many designs exist. When referring to hot water or hot fluid, reference is generally made to water or fluid having a desired temperature exceeding 250 Fahrenheit (about 120 degrees Celsius). Furthermore, reference is generally made to fluid since most hot fluid generators may be used for heating water but also for heating thermal oils and other fluids.
Existing generators generally comprise a furnace module in which fuel is burned to generate heat, and a convection module connected to the furnace module and comprising a plurality of convection tubes or pipes in which the fluid to be heated circulates. In use, the hot combustion gases from the burned fuel flow in the convection module and around the convection tubes. As they pass around and contact the tubes, the gases transfer a portion of their heat to the tubes and thus to the fluid which is thereby heated.
Understandably, once a generator is assembled and installed, all the components are mostly fixed. Hence, when one or more convection tube needs to be repaired, cleaned or replaced, the configuration of the convection module makes it very difficult to access the convection tubes. The repairing, cleaning and/or replacing of convection tubes is thus a long and often labor-intensive process. This process can further incur prolonged downtimes of the generator with their attendance costs.
In addition, when high volumes of high-temperature fluid are needed, current generators rely on the use of refractory to isolate the walls of the furnace module of the generator. Such design implies that the generator is both cumbersome and heavy, and may not be adapted for some uses.
Hence, despite ongoing developments in the field of high temperature fluid generators, there is still a need for an improved high temperature fluid generator which mitigates at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art.